clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

#AskTCR Mailbag: When To Expose Your Lady To The Illini

YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, WE HAVE ANSWERS. THOUGH NOT ALL ANSWERS MAY BE TO THE QUESTIONS YOU WERE ASKING.

By Apollo Forza
USA TODAY Sports

This weekend is the last weekend in the month of July, which means that this weekend is the last weekend of the year in which we won't be in the same month as football season. Yes, August is almost here and that means football draws ever closer, and after waking up this morning and looking for something to watch on television, I can assure you that Saturday mornings are desperately in need of college football.

Saturday morning television blows.

Luckily we have the #AskTCR Mailbag to help you navigate these boring times. But before we get to the questions here's a reminder on how you can have your question answered here next week.

There are two ways to ask The Champaign Room your questions. You can tweet them at us on Twitter using the hashtag #AskTCR -- it just makes it easier to keep track -- or you can email them to us at TheChampaignRoom@gmail.com. And if you've got a personal question and you're worried about your privacy, just tell us. Well change your name to Tom Crean when we publish it on the site. And remember, you can ask us ANYTHING. It doesn't have to be about Illinois or even sports.

And on to the questions.

This is a tricky question. I'm not sure if you mean from a basketball or football perspective, but since football is closer, that's the way I'm going to tackle it.

I think a lot depends on the girl you're in a relationship with. If she's with you odds are she already likes you, though it's possible that you're a billionaire and she's just in it for the money. Moving past that, though, I think the biggest question is what she thinks of football. If she hates it don't drag her to a game trying to change her mind. If she's open to it, bring her to any game.

Whether the Illini get their ass kicked that day or not, you're the one she likes, so as long as you don't get drunk, paint your body, or get naked and run onto the field, odds are she'll enjoy herself.

No matter what I just suggest having something else planned for after the game. Lunch, movie, whatever. Just make sure that the entire day together isn't centered solely around football. Unless she loves football. If that's the case, go back to your apartment after the game and watch more football. And then once you're there, ask her to marry you.

That's a pretty good video, mostly because it takes us back to a time when the Illini were 5-0. We'll just forget about how things went after that. As for whether or not there's a better Illini Productions video, I think so, yes.

By and large Illini Productions does a fantastic job with all of its videos, however, last year's TNT series following the Illini basketball season was far and away my favorite thing they've ever done. I just love that kind of behind-the-scenes stuff, and I'm hoping they do something similar with the football program this year.

As a native of Champaign and an SIU alum I am torn about who to root for in this season's opening game. However the real question is, does SIU actually have a decent chance to beat the Illini or is it just a money game loss for the Salukis -- Eric

When it comes for who you should root for, I'm not really sure I can solve that one for you. Though I would say that a Southern Illinois win would do far more damage to Illinois than an Illinois win would do to Southern Illinois. So if you take that into account, rooting for Illinois may be rooting for the greater good.

As for whether or not the Salukis have a real chance, I wish I could say no. I really do. Now, I'm not going to pretend that the Illini should be worried about this game, but the honest truth is that with the way the Illini played last season, Illini fans can't take anything for granted. I'm hoping the Illini come out and win this game 63-3, but a 27-24 Illini win wouldn't shock me, either.

So the odds aren't good for SIU, but there's definitely a chance.

IN LIFE.

Also, I love you for asking this question just because it gives me an excuse to post this.

Listen, all I'm going to say is this: Dan Bernstein is paid to talk about Chicago sports for four hours a day, and that means he has to have opinions on everything. When it comes to Chicago sports radio, the only time Illinois gets talked about is around media days or when things are going extremely well or poor.

And we know where football falls into that equation right now.

As for Bernstein's assessment of the talent the Illini are bringing in, I'm fairly certain he hasn't spent a second of his life watching film of any player that the Illini have brought in. Whether it's the JUCO players or the high schoolers. The only thing Bernstein knows about Illini recruits is that Tim Beckman had a bad first season and he came from a MAC school, therefore they are MAC level players.

Between Tyrin Stone-Davis and Geronimo Allison there were scholarship offers from eight schools. Of the eight schools that offered both receivers, none reside in the MAC. Five of the schools to offer came from the Big Ten or the Big 12.

I'd trust Bernstein's opinion on basketball far more than I would football, and even then remember he's a radio host. He's not paid to have the right opinion, he's paid to have an opinion.

It's way too early to know, and I have nothing to base an answer on. But don't worry, I'll give you an answer anyway. I'm going to go with Kendrick Nunn just because I think that by the time he's a senior he'll be the best player on the team. And it's easier to lead if you don't suck.

It's science.

Do you mean this upcoming season? Because if so I'm going to have to lean toward Nnanna Egwu leading the Big Ten in rebounds, even though I don't think that's very likely. It's just that in Groce's system and with Tracy Abrams needing to be a scorer, I don't see him handing out a ton of assists per game, and there just isn't a player on this roster that I know of who has what it takes to lead the league in scoring.

However, if you mean any of the players on the current roster at any point of their careers, I'm going to mention Kendrick Nunn again. I think he can develop into that scorer.

Is is fair to call someone who suffers a bad injury in the league early in is career, like Adam Morrison, a draft bust because he is no longer able to play at his pre-injury level?

Article for reference - Shane

I get what you're saying, but I think it's totally fair to call him a bust whether he was injured or not. While the injury provides an excuse for his lack of performance at the NBA, the fact is he never performed well in the NBA. He was taken with the third pick of the 2006 draft and his NBA career consisted of 161 games over four seasons and 7.5 points per game. Knee injury or not, that's a bust.

Of course, that entire 2006 draft wasn't exactly filled with superstars. Only three players selected that year have ever been named to an All-Star Game or an All-NBA team: LaMarcus Aldridge (second overall), Brandon Roy (sixth overall) and Rajon Rondo (twenty-first overall). And of those three Roy's career has also been killed by knee injuries.

So, in summation, yes it's fair calling Adam Morrison a bust. Injury or not. But the good news for Adam is that he's one of may busts in that draft.

---------

Thanks for the questions! If you submitted a question that didn't get answered, don't worry, it's possible that I'm just saving it for the next mailbag. It's also possible the question sucked and you need to ask better questions next time. I guess you'll just have to wait to find out.

Follow The Champaign Room on Twitter at @Champaign_Room and Like us on Facebook. You can follow Tom Fornelli on Twitter at @TomFornelli.

More from The Champaign Room: